Domains, hosting & email
83 guides across 17 sections
Email25
- Accessing email on the webHow to log in to your business email from any web browser, without installing an app.
- Business email, explainedEverything you need to know about setting up, managing, and troubleshooting professional email for your business.
- Creating a professional email signatureHow to set up a polished, consistent email signature that builds trust and makes it easy for people to contact you.
- Email aliases & forwarding explainedAliases let you send and receive email using multiple addresses from a single inbox. Here's what they are and how to use them.
- Email not sending or receiving?Step-by-step help for the most common email problems, when email won't send, won't arrive, or bounces back.
- Email security basicsThe essential steps to keep your business email accounts secure: passwords, two-factor authentication, and everyday habits.
- Email sent from your website explainedHow your website sends automatic emails (form submissions, order confirmations, password resets) and what needs to be set up for them to work reliably.
- Email storage & archivingHow email storage works, what your limits are, and how to keep your inbox manageable over the long term.
- Email terms, explained simplyA plain-English glossary of email terms you might encounter when managing business email.
- Group & distribution lists explainedHow to send one email to multiple people using a single address, and the different ways to set this up in Google Workspace and Microsoft 365.
- How to improve email deliverabilityPractical steps to make sure your business emails reach the inbox instead of the spam folder.
- Out-of-office & auto-repliesHow to set up an automatic reply that lets senders know you're away and when you'll be back.
- Professional email options comparedA plain-English comparison of Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and other professional email platforms to help you choose the right one for your business.
- Setting up a new email addressHow a new business email address gets created on your domain, and what you need to provide to get it done.
- Setting up email in a desktop appHow to add your business email to Outlook, Apple Mail, or another desktop email app on your computer.
- Setting up email on your phoneHow to add your business email account to an iPhone or Android phone so you can send and receive messages on the go.
- Shared mailboxes (like support@) explainedA shared mailbox lets your whole team read, reply to, and manage a single inbox without sharing a password.
- SPF, DKIM & DMARC for email sendersA plain-English explanation of the three DNS records that prove your emails are legitimate and protect your domain from being spoofed.
- Transactional vs marketing emailThe difference between transactional emails (order confirmations, password resets) and marketing emails (newsletters, promotions), and why they need different tools.
- Troubleshooting email problemsA guide to diagnosing common business email problems (from messages going to spam to configuration issues) and knowing when to ask for help.
- What happens when we migrate your emailWhat to expect when Chykalophia moves your email to a new platform, and how we make sure nothing gets lost.
- What is SMTP (and why your site needs it)?A plain-English explanation of SMTP (the protocol that sends email) and why your website needs it configured correctly.
- Why email & your website are separateYour email and your website don't have to live on the same platform, and for most businesses, they shouldn't.
- Why not use a free Gmail/Hotmail for business?Using a free consumer email address for your business makes you look unprofessional and creates real risks. Here's why a custom domain address matters.
- Why your emails land in spam (deliverability)What email deliverability is, why it matters, and the main reasons your business emails might be going to spam instead of the inbox.
Google Workspace9
- Delegating an inbox (e.g. shared support@)How to give another person access to read, send, and manage email on behalf of a Gmail account: ideal for shared inboxes like support@ or admin@.
- Email routing & catch-allHow to set up email routing rules and a catch-all address in Google Workspace, so email reaches the right person and nothing falls through the cracks.
- Gmail basics for businessA beginner-friendly guide to using Gmail in Google Workspace: composing emails, replying, searching, stars, and staying organized.
- Google Workspace: the complete client guideEverything you need to know about using Google Workspace for your business, from signing in to security, Gmail, Drive, Calendar, and more.
- Groups & email aliasesHow to create shared email addresses like team@ or info@ in Google Workspace using groups and aliases, without paying for extra user seats.
- Organizing Gmail with labels & filtersHow to use Gmail labels and filters in Google Workspace to automatically sort, tag, and manage incoming email, keeping your inbox clean without effort.
- Setting a vacation responderHow to set an out-of-office automatic reply in Gmail, including setting start and end dates so it turns off automatically when you return.
- Setting up your Gmail signatureHow to create and manage a professional email signature in Gmail, including setting a default signature for new emails and replies.
- What is Google Workspace?A plain-English explanation of Google Workspace: what it is, what it includes, and why businesses use it instead of free Gmail.
Email marketing8
- Abandoned cart emails for WooCommerce and ShopifyHow abandoned cart and abandoned checkout emails work on WooCommerce and Shopify, what to put in them, and how to set them up without annoying customers.
- Building your email list without buying onePractical, permission-based ways to grow an email list of people who actually want to hear from you, and why bought lists do more harm than good.
- Choosing a platform: Mailchimp vs Klaviyo vs Kit vs BeehiivHow the four most common email marketing platforms differ, which kinds of business each one suits, and the questions to ask before you commit.
- Email marketingPlain-English guides to email marketing for small businesses, from choosing a platform and growing your list to automations, metrics and staying out of spam.
- Email marketing basics for small businessesWhat email marketing is, why it still works for small businesses, and the handful of things you need in place before you send your first campaign.
- Reading your email metricsWhat each number in your email platform's reports means, which ones to trust, and why open rates have been unreliable since Apple Mail Privacy Protection.
- Staying out of spam: authentication and list hygieneHow to keep your marketing emails out of the spam folder, including SPF, DKIM and DMARC, the Gmail and Yahoo sender requirements from 2024, and keeping your list clean.
- Welcome sequences: the first five emailsA practical plan for the automated emails new subscribers receive, with what each of the first five emails should do and when to send them.
Give us access6
- Give us access to your ActiveCampaign accountHow to add us as a user in ActiveCampaign so we can connect forms, build automations, and wire your website into your email marketing.
- Give us access to your Brevo accountHow to invite us to Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) so we can configure transactional email, SMTP, sending domains, and marketing campaigns.
- Give us access to your Klaviyo accountHow to invite our team to Klaviyo to build high-converting e-commerce email flows and sync your store data.
- Give us access to your Mailchimp accountHow to safely invite our team to Mailchimp so we can design templates, set up automations, and sync your website leads.
- Give us Google Workspace admin accessHow to safely grant our team administrative access to your Google Workspace account for email setup and email authentication.
- Give us Microsoft 365 admin accessHow to safely grant our team administrative access to Microsoft 365 (Office 365) to configure domain DNS and ensure email deliverability.
Microsoft 3656
- Adding a domain to Microsoft 365How to connect your business domain to Microsoft 365 so your team can use professional email addresses like you@yourcompany.com instead of @outlook.com.
- Distribution groups & lists in Microsoft 365How to create and manage distribution groups in Microsoft 365, so you can email your whole team or a specific department with a single address.
- Organizing Outlook with rules & foldersHow to create folders and set up automatic rules in Outlook to keep your inbox organized and reduce email overwhelm.
- Outlook basics for businessA beginner's guide to using Outlook for business email: reading, sending, replying, organizing, and using the calendar.
- Setting up your Outlook signatureHow to create and set up an email signature in Outlook (including your name, title, phone number, and branding) so it appears automatically on every email.
- Shared mailboxes in Microsoft 365How to create and use a shared mailbox in Microsoft 365: perfect for team inboxes like info@, support@, or hello@yourcompany.com.
Workspace vs 3656
- Gmail vs Outlook, which is better for your business?A practical comparison of Gmail (Google Workspace) and Outlook (Microsoft 365) to help you choose the email client that fits how your team works.
- Google Docs vs Office: collaboration comparedA practical comparison of real-time document collaboration in Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Slides) versus Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
- Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365: feature comparison, side by sideEvery major feature of Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 compared in one place, so you can make a clear-eyed decision.
- Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365: how to chooseA plain-English guide to help you decide between Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 for your business.
- Switching from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 (or the other way)What migrating between Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 actually involves: email, files, contacts, and what to expect from the process.
- Which is better for small teams: Google Workspace or Microsoft 365?A focused guide to help teams of 1 to 15 people decide between Google Workspace and Microsoft 365, with a clear recommendation for most situations.
Domains & DNS5
- DKIM records, explainedWhat a DKIM record does, how it signs your outgoing email to prove it's genuine, and why it matters for email deliverability.
- DMARC records, explainedWhat a DMARC record does, how it protects your domain from email spoofing, and how to set up a sensible policy for your business.
- Domain vs hosting vs emailA clear explanation of the difference between your domain name, your website hosting, and your business email: three things that are often confused.
- Email DNS records (MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC)An overview of the four DNS record types that make your business email work correctly and land in inboxes rather than spam.
- SPF records, explainedWhat an SPF record is, how it works, and why setting it up correctly is essential for keeping your business email out of spam folders.
Troubleshooting5
- I can't receive emailStep-by-step diagnosis for when email isn't arriving at your business email address.
- I got a suspicious email. What now?How to assess whether an unexpected or suspicious email is a phishing attempt, and what to do next.
- I'm not getting form notification emailsWhat to do when your website forms are submitting correctly but the email notifications aren't arriving in your inbox.
- My email is going to spamWhy your business emails land in recipients' spam or junk folders, and what can be done to fix it.
- My forms aren't workingWhat to do when contact forms, inquiry forms, or order forms on your website are failing or showing errors.
Migrations3
- Migrating from Mailchimp to Kit or BeehiivHow to move your email list and automations from Mailchimp to Kit (formerly ConvertKit) or Beehiiv: export and import steps, what transfers, and what to set up fresh.
- Migrating your business emailWhat happens when we move your business email to a new provider: what transfers, what doesn't, how to avoid losing messages, and what to expect.
- Migrations: moving your website, email, or platformGuides for migrating between website platforms, email providers, and hosting providers, with honest advice on timelines, risks, and what to expect.
Security2
- Business email compromise explainedWhat business email compromise (BEC) is, how it works, and the steps every small business can take to prevent it.
- Common email scams targeting businessesThe most common email scams used against small businesses, explained in plain English so you and your team can recognize and avoid them.